The sweet little owner named Yamil had a passion for cooking and it showed through at each delicious meal we had. His cooking style blended Nicaraguan, Indian, Italian, and American style dishes. After long days, be it rain, heat, sweat or pure tiredness, the meals Yamil prepared always excited each and every one of our taste buds.

Our group has settled into our home for the week, and we are immensely enjoying getting to know this town. Each day, we try new foods we’ve never tasted or even heard of before during breakfast at Nena Lodge, where we will be staying throughout our week here. We soak in the view of the […]

By Erica Santiago, Mitzvah Corps Nicaragua I Program Director As our adventure in Nicaragua comes to a close, I am sitting on the front porch of our hostel reflecting on the past few days. It’s been a terrific adventure with a terrific group of teens, staff, and guides. We spent 5 days working alongside Nicaraguan […]

Summer of 2015, I came home from URJ Kutz Camp, determined to reunite with my camp friends the next summer. I majored in Torah Corps, minored in Jewish Environmentalism, and participated in daily activities that inspired the wild idea of becoming a rabbi affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism. There was so much to […]

Communication in the world we live is often times taken for granted. Everyone here in El Castillo is doing well. In fact, we are really great.
Our group has been talking - not on the phone, but to each other and to local Nicaraguans in all sorts of ways. Sometimes we talk by passing buckets of concrete to build the andenes (sidewalks) so that people who live farther away from main street will feel less marginalized and feel that they are truly a part of their community.